Say Goodnight to Sonny's Bar & Grill--I just got a very heartfelt e-mail from local musician Chris Valencia that opens with the following: "On Sunday, Oct. 15, Sonny’s Bar & Grill will be closing its doors for good." Uh ... what? "After recent pressure from APD, the mayor and his effort to transform our neighborhood into the next Scottsdale, management has decided to sell their interests and move to Colorado." Oh, OK. ... Wait, what?

Tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson—he of the big round tone, killer rhythmic sense and elegant understatement—began his career playing with drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He’s also worked with a who’s who of jazz luminaries from earlier generations, including Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter and Charlie Haden. Respectful of the tradition, Jackson brings a depth of experience and feeling to his always forward-looking work.

with The Rumfits, Dread Pirate Hotchkiss and Marsupious

By Marisa Demarco

“The Neighbor of the Beast”? It's the kind of joke that sneaks up on you. For weeks, I'd been wondering, "Why is it 668 and not 667?" Staring at the trio's bootleg cover, it dawned on me: 667 would be the house across the street—668 is right next door.

The Albuquerque Mining Company celebrates 20 fabulous years

By Amy Dalness

Disco never died—shag carpet just went out of style. The first thing Dennis (Sam) Gibson did when he opened the Albuquerque Mining Company (AMC) in 1986 was rip out the blue shag nightmare, but the disco ball remains 20 years later.

If you ever wanted to listen to the "Miami Vice" or "Nightrider" theme songs for entertainment without being ridiculed by your peers, you are in luck. This Norwegian delight embodies the best of that heavy keyboard-in-motion, crime-fighting feel, without the dumb plots and bad acting, all rolled into one cool indie package.

Crystal Castles • electropunk, synth pop, witch house

By August March

Remember the thing called Witch House? How about darkwave? The constant bifurcation of artistic paths in the field of electronic music can be damnably confusing and irritating, as well as rewarding and helluva lot of fun too—as long as you pick the right band. When adherents of these sorts of genres aren't busy sorting their rainbow-colored toe socks and looking for tubes of Vick's Vaporub to snatch up at the local Walmart, then it's a pretty fair bet that they are listening to the likes of Crystal Castles, a duo of Canuck electro-arhats who've made their mark in the music world with a febrile and spooky glitchiness that has outlasted any names critics might apply in favor of an honestly, intimidatingly pure exploration of sounds that make humans dance and rejoice as they swirl around the very noisy and icy maelstrom of life and death. Ethan Kath and Edith Frances, AKA Crystal Castles, perform live in Burque on Thursday, Oct. 19. Viewed as an opportunity to joyfully and ferociously embrace the void, this ought to be a damn good show, but don't blame me if you can't remember your name afterwards.

The English Beat • ska

By August March

Here's a brief on a band with three names, but unlike Eliot's bunch, these dudes are not a coterie of cats. At home across the pond, they're known as the Beat. In the land down under, kindly refer to them as the British Beat. Here in 'Merica, we call them the English Beat. But no matter what you call them, this estimable ensemble that still includes founder and guitarist Dave Wakeling—but not vocalist Ranking Roger—was partially responsible for the upsurge in popularity that two-tone ska saw on both sides of the Atlantic during the '80s and '90s. With a retinue of classic, upbeat jams like “Monkey Murders,” “Spar Wid Me” and “Save It for Later”, the band's touring the states again, impressing OG ska lovers as well as the next generation of horn-crazy youth with their combination of crazy stage antics and terrific tuneage. You can catch the outfit live here the the Duke City on Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Historic El Rey Theatre, but don't worry you don't need checkerboard pants or a smart little hat to enjoy this gig—just make sure those great big feet of yours are rested and ready to dance.